4 Best Sights in Cape Agulhas and Bredasdorp, The Western Cape and Winelands

Covering 88,900 acres of isolated coastal terrain as well as the undersea world below the waves, this reserve deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Massive sand dunes, rolling mountains, and rare lowland fynbos are home to eland, bontebok, and Cape mountain zebra, as well as more than 250 species of birds. (Keep an eye out for the blue crane, South Africa’s national bird.) Though the reserve is only three hours from Cape Town, it feels a world away. 

This is a fantastic place to watch whales from the shore—not quite as easy as in Hermanus, but much less crowded. You can also hike the enormously popular Whale Trail, which runs through the reserve. A shuttle service takes your bags to each new stop, so all you have to carry is a small day pack and a water bottle between overnight stops. Book up to a year in advance to enjoy the Whale Trail, or try to snag a last-minute cancellation. Self-catering cottages sleep up to four people and range from basic to fully equipped.

You can still enjoy De Hoop without doing the Whale Trail; there are delightful day hikes, beautiful and largely unpeopled beaches and excellent bird-watching, including a viewing platform where you can lie down and watch Cape vultures swooping overhead.

Access is via a dirt road between Bredasdorp and Malgas. From Bredasdorp take the R319 to Swellendam. At about 6 km (4 miles) turn right at the sign posted De Hoop/Malgas/Infanta. Follow the road for 35 km (21.2 miles) until you see the sign for the reserve. Malgas is home to the last hand-drawn car ferry in the country. It's fascinating to watch the technique, as the ferry operators "walk" the ferry across the river on a huge cable, leaning into their harnesses.

Hugging the coast, this is one of South Africa's lesser-visited parks. There's no big game, but you'll likely see some antelopes. Keep an eye out for the rare Cape grysbok, which hides out in the coastal fynbos. Shift your gaze to the ocean and you might spot Cape fur seals, and in the winter and spring months, dolphins and whales. You can visit the southernmost point without paying for entrance to the park, and there's a lovely coastal boardwalk outside the park, but if you feel like stretching your legs for longer, there are two-day trails inside park boundaries. The 5½-km (3½-mile) Rasperpunt Trail starts and ends at the Meisho Maru Shipwreck. The 10½-km (6½-mile) Two Oceans Trail is only open to overnight visitors. Accommodation is in delightful wooden chalets and old stone cottages.

Housed in a converted church and rectory, the Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum has an extensive collection of objects salvaged from the hundreds of ships that have gone down in the stormy seas off the Cape. In addition to the usual cannons and figureheads, the museum displays a surprising array of household articles rescued from the sea, including entire dining-room sets, sideboards, and phonographs. Be sure to visit the buildings out back, which contain old wagons and the first fire engines used in South Africa.

Little has changed in the last 200 years in the Moravian mission village of Elim, founded in 1824. Simple whitewashed cottages line the few streets. All the residents belong to the Moravian Church. You're welcome to attend services, when just about the whole town turns out in their Sunday best. Elim is the only town in the country that has a monument dedicated to the freeing of the slaves in 1838. It's also home to the country's oldest working clock and biggest wooden waterwheel. There's a tourism office near the waterwheel with a small museum detailing the history of the village. Grab a bite in the tearoom next to the waterwheel. Elim is 36 km (22 miles) west of Bredasdorp.